1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a soldering iron tip, and more particularly to a structure of a soldering iron tip adapted to easily remove a solder bridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
In soldering electronic parts on a circuit board, a soldering defect such as a solder bridge, which causes terminals to be short-circuited, sometimes occurs and needs to be removed. However, it is getting difficult to remove the solder bridge because circuit patterns arm becoming finer and finer recently.
For solving the above problem, for example, a soldering iron for both soldering and removing a solder (herinafter referred to as desoldering iron) is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-58137. The tip of the desoldering iron is shaped rectangular in cross section, has through-holes as solder reservoirs for storing sucked solder, and has solder suction grooves formed on both opposite side surfaces thereof and extending from rims of respective through-holes toward an edge of the tip.
The desoldering iron tip is structured such that solder melted by heat is sucked into the through-holes by capillary action through the solder suction grooves formed in the tip, thereby removing the solder of a solder bridge. However, the desoldering iron is not adapted to cut off a solder bridge, and it is difficult to cut off a solder bridge formed in a narrow area between terminals or a solder bridge formed between terminals of through-hole devices so as to remove the solder. Furthermore, conventional low-melting-point eutectic lead solder (having a melting point of 183xc2x0 C.) contains lead and has therefore not been used recently because circuit boards with the solder discarded as industrial waste pollute the environment.
In recent years, lead-free solder has been taking the place of the eutectic lead solder. While the lead-free solder has the advantage of not containing lead, its melting point is 220xc2x0 C. to 230xc2x0 C., which is higher than that of the eutectic lead solder. For this reason, soldering work and removal of a solder bridge are performed with the temperature of the soldering iron tip set approximately 20xc2x0 C. to 30xc2x0 C. higher than conventionally. However, when the temperature of the tip is increased by 20xc2x0 C. to 30xc2x0 C. compared with conventionally, thermal stress is imposed on the circuit boards, and conductive patterns are peeled off the circuit boards.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a soldering iron tip which has a function of separating a solder bridge, a desoldering function of sucking up unnecessary solder of the separated solder bridge, and a normal function of performing soldering even with a high-melting-point solder.
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a soldering iron tip is provided which has an edge inclined with respect to a main axis extending from the edge toward a handle, and solder suction grooves (hereinafter referred to as grooves) formed in a cutter blade-like portion and oriented parallel to the main axis.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the grooves are formed on both side surfaces of the edge opposite to each other.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, vertex ages formed respectively between the main axis and the side surfaces of the inclined edge are different from each other.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the two grooves positioned opposite to each other have a V-shaped notch formed at the edge of the cutter blade-like portion.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the grooves each have a cylindrical through-hole for storing solder, which is formed at one end thereof closer to the handle, and which goes through the tip from one side surface to the other side surface.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of grooves are formed on each of the both side surfaces.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the grooves have any one of V, U, and arc shapes in section.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the edge of the cutter blade-like portion is plated so that plating covers an area beyond each of the grooves, and, in case of the cylindrical through-holes for storing solder being provided, covers an area beyond each of the through-holes.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the grooves each have a solder guide therealong.